text:
The Internet Significantly Contributes to the Rise of Secularism
|Voting Style:
|Point System:
|7 Point
|2 years ago
|Post Voting Period
|1,890 times
|Debate No:
I will argue that the internet significantly contributes to the rise of secularism. My opponent will argue that the internet does not significantly contribute to the rise of secularism.
Definitions (Merriam-Webster)
Significantly: in a way that is large or important enough to be noticed or have an effect
Secularism: indifference to or rejection or exclusion of religion and religious considerations
Round 1: acceptance only
Round 2: main arguments
Round 3: rebuttals
Round 4: conclusion; no new arguments
Time per round: up to 72 hours
Characters per round: up to 10,000 characters
No trolling; serious debaters only please
Forfeiture results in a loss
If there are questions, please write in the comments. Thanks!
Thank you DavidMancke for accepting my debate. I hope we both come out of it having learned something new. Let's have some fun!
I will argue that the internet significantly contributes to the rise of secularism.
It is a fact that countries like the United States are becoming less religious. The following visual from the Pew Research Center shows the decline of religion among adults and the rise of the "Nones," those who do not affiliate themselves with a religion [1]. As we see, the number of adults who are religiously unaffiliated has increased almost 7% between 2007 and 2014, from 16.1% to 22.8%, respectfully.
This next visual shows that the people who were already unaffiliated are becoming even more secular, shown by the increase in people saying that religion is not important to their lives and a decrease in the number of people who believe in God or a universal spirit. People are also attending religious services less as well as praying less [1].
It is imperative to note that the terms secularism and atheism are not equivalent, contrary to popular belief. The "Nones" include atheists, but the majority of them are people who simply don't associate with any particular religion. While atheism is the lack of a belief in God or gods, secularism is the practice of separating oneself from organized religion. The "Nones" may be secular, but that does not mean none of them believe in some sort of deity. In fact, two-thirds of the religiously unaffiliated adults say they do believe in God [1].
We have settled that America is becoming less religious. Now, the question is not whether secularism is on the rise but what is the cause of its rise? While there are most likely several reasons with varying degrees of influence, I believe that the internet is making significant contributions to this change.
The following image shows that as internet use began to increase around 1990, there was a noticeable spike in the number of people losing interest in religion [2].
Of course this a correlation and does not imply direct causation. I will now provide reasons why the internet does significantly contribute to the rise of secularism.
The spread of the internet has given people all over the world the ability to expose themselves to knowledge. They are able to ask questions which they may have previously been too scared to put forth to their friends or family for fear of rejection. They can find answers from places they may have never knew existed. In some areas around the world, asking questions and criticizing religion is extremely dangerous. For example, in several countries where Islam is the dominant religion, blasphemy and apostasy are considered crimes punishable by death [3]. Unfortunately, many Muslims in these countries support these harsh punishments [4]. While the United States is nowhere near as oppressive, many people still find it difficult to openly identify as a nonbeliever, given that 70% of Americans are of Christian faith [5]. Thanks to the internet, people who have been unable to question their religious beliefs due to these types of fears can do so in the privacy of their homes. Upon doing this, people may find that the beliefs they have grown up with don"t make an awful lot of sense when compared to what they actually feel is right or true. For example, if someone were to ask why homosexuality is wrong, their church may say it is because God says it is wrong, as written in the Bible. If someone asked the same question on the internet, they would receive a significantly larger variety of opinions from which they can decide which makes the most sense to them.
The internet also brings science to the world. A controversial debate that continues to this day is whether religion and science can coexist. In some aspects, they can. But in others, they do not. Popular on YouTube are "atheist vs. theist" debates, where self-proclaimed atheists, often with a background in the sciences, will engage in thought provoking debates with theists on matters such as the existence of God or the Bible. One debate on YouTube between evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and Cardinal George Pell has received almost 2 million views [6]. Bringing this type of dialogue directly to people gives them the ability to learn about the factuality behind their beliefs through multiple lenses. For example, the Bible asserts that the Earth is only a couple thousand years old, while science shows it is actually much older; billions of years older. This contrast encourages people to consider the truth and validity behind their beliefs. Many people find that science (which is secular in nature) overwhelmingly offers more rational explanations of how the universe works than religious teachings. This attitude can lead to more secular thinking. Science will most likely never disprove entire religions, but it continues to demonstrate that many deeply held religious stories and beliefs lack any sort of scientific evidence. In 2014, science educator Bill Nye engaged Christian apologist Ken Ham in a debate on evolution versus creationism. The debate received a lot of attention on the news and social media, and the full dialogue (nearly 3 hours in length) has been viewed over 5 million times on YouTube [7]. In one section of the debate, Bill Nye demonstrated how the Biblical story of the Great Flood and Noah's Ark cannot be literally true, due to the improbable physics of the ark as well as the lack of evidence. Videos like these encourage people to question the beliefs they have grown up with and open their minds to new perspectives and ideas, something many people may have never done without the help of the internet. People may start wondering and caring about whether their beliefs are actually true or just a story. This will likely lead people to further wonder whether they should continue affiliating themselves with organized religion if they know that parts of it cannot be true and simply do not make sense.
Social media allows for the rapid sharing of ideas by way of the internet. It allows individuals to express their thoughts and be heard by a massive global audience, as well as interact with them. For example, many sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are centered on the promotion of freethought, skepticism, secularism and atheism, and they have seen tremendous growth and popularity. "The Amazing Atheist" is a YouTube channel that discusses relevant matters relating to atheism and religion. The channel has over 800,000 subscribers and has accumulated more than a quarter of a billion views [8]. The success of channels like these show that people want to question religion and open their minds.
To summarize, the internet has given people access to greater knowledge. Access to the internet allows and encourages people to ask as many questions as they desire, it allows them to experience new perspectives, and it lets people learn about science. Secular individuals tend to exhibit these mindsets because they would rather not submit themselves to a religious authority. Many religions declare that its adherents must obey scripture and not question its teachings, which prevents people from learning. Secularists do not want this, and would prefer to believe what they'd like and what makes sense to them, without having to bind themselves to religious authority. The internet gives people the tools to educate themselves and to analyze their religious beliefs, which usually causes them to arrive at rational conclusions about whether their beliefs make sense according to science and reality.
1. http://www.pewforum.org...
2. http://arxiv.org...
3. http://www.thewire.com...
4. https://www.washingtonpost.com...
5. http://www.pewforum.org...
6. https://www.youtube.com...
7. https://www.youtube.com...
8. https://www.youtube.com...
"The Internet Significantly Contributes to the Rise of Secularism"
The negative offers the following analysis of the resolution and mechanism for judging the debate, along with a definition of the internet, collectively called the "Opp Analysis"
The internet: A utility for sharing messages and information worldwide.
Resolution of Fact: The resolution is a "truth claim," evaluated under preponderance of the evidence. The side that demonstrates the resolution is accurate or not, and provides the most significant examples should win the debate.
This brings us to the Affirmative definition of "Significantly." I don't object to the definition, but the ontology in context of this debate. Significantly is not intended to mean any level of impact we can observe, but rather the greatest/most significant impact we can observe.
On Case:
Observation 1: The general trend of secularization in the western world has been on the rise for centuries before the internet existed or was even imagined.
Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Max Weber, Jean-Paul Sartre all share a common denominator; they surmised that religion was on the decline and that science, education and individualism could be given the credit.
These celebrated secular thinkers advanced secular understanding of the world and society as they called attention to the inherent advantages of a more secular society and recognized the inherent harms of a society wedded to religion.
Early in the 20th century Max Weber described an evolution of religion(s) observed over history as a function of increasingly complex societies; from superstition and magic to polytheism and monotheism and more recently, with the rise of naturalism and humanism in tandem with science and technology, to prolific secularism. Weber called this process, "the disenchantment of the world."
An example early in our history highly relevant today is constitutional separation of church and state, but even by the time the western world reached the enlightenment era science and individual liberty were the champions of the day. The potential for industry and medicine, as well as the value of self-determination carried decisions from separation of church and state to the study of science. From Ben Franklin's lightning to his signature in 1776.
Science, medicine and invention, were then and are now, pursuits better served by an understanding that does not rely on superstition, with historical regimens most often recognizing the 18th and 19th centuries as providing ontological and a methodological platforms for eschewing theistic and supernatural concepts from the exploration and explanation of the natural world.
Educational institutions have increasingly, continuously and robustly embraced secularism and naturalism as the most reliable (methodological) and most egalitarian (ontological) framework for understanding and developing sciences and societies for more than 200 years. Many of the oldest universities in the US, such as Harvard, began as a religious college and became a secular, and did so long before the internet entered our classrooms or homes.
The internet cannot be credited with significant increase in secularization when it started centuries earlier.
Observation 2: Liberal values are increasingly popular in the western world, and at odds with many traditional conservative religious values.
There's no doubt that secularism is increasing in the west. The affirmative offered studies to demonstrate that. And while the negative has shown the pattern goes back much further than the mid-nineties, today the trend in the west is amplified by ideologically irreconcilable differences.
Conservative religion frequently prescribes attitudes and behavior sets across a spectrum of issues that are increasingly indigestible in the western world. Stock examples include, disapproval of homosexuality, intolerance of abortion in any form paired with an ironic disdain for social welfare programs like food stamps, recalcitrance to scientific realities like global warming or the importance of vaccines and in some cases a desire for religious values and belief to play a greater role in civic life, while seeking the the censorship of competing religions or ideas.
The trend goes back to the late seventies and early eighties, well before the onset of the internet, in movements like the Christian Coalition and the rise of the televangelism, seeking prayer in public schools, legal restriction of abortions rights and marriage rights; to get the Christian masses to represent the conservative Christian position at the polls.
The evangelical movement gave rise to the evangelical voter, through the careful courtship of conservative political forces like the GOP in the United States. Today this group has become a cornerstone of politics in the nation that controls the largest military in the world.
Nevertheless secularism continues to rise overall and the negative perception of religion by westerners deserves a significant portion of the credit. Values like marriage equality, abortion rights and publicly funded social welfare are rejected by highly conservative religions like evangelical Christianity and fundamentalist Islam. Moreover, these sects are some of the most publicized and hostile in the rejection of those values.
What they may call a defense of faith and tradition is perceive as intolerance, recalcitrance and a desire for theocracy. One of the most incendiary examples include the Westboro Baptist Church, typified by its slogan, "God hates f*gs." The most dangerous and extreme including religious terrorists like ISIS.
Westerners more and more embrace science, diversity and tolerance for alternate worldviews and lifestyles. They resoundingly favor secular government and public education, and disapprove of recalcitrance toward science as well as doctrinally prescribed intolerance. Westerners are secularizing because they are rejecting religious messages that reject science and egalitarianism.
This is all material to show the perceived paranoia, hypocrisy and vitriol of conservative religion are a greater driving force to the rise of secularization than secularist articles or videos on the internet.
Rather, secularist messages on the internet are an indication of secularization that is already taking place. The artifacts of secularism online are not a cause in and of themselves. This is simple supply and demand. The demand for secularist media drives publication. The affirmative has the shoe completely on the wrong foot. It's because westerners increasingly see religion epitomized by the greed, vitriol and even violence of hateful charlatans. Rejection of religion, ostensibly, happens before searching out the "HitchSlap" video on YouTube.
Observation 3: Rejoinder of Obs 1 and 2
The internet is a utility for conveying ideas. On balance it is equally available to the religious and the secular, with the published content catering to a preexisting market of viewers. It is the contents and implications of a statement or attitude that compels a belief or the rejection, not the medium it's published within.
The current point in this centuries long pattern we see today reflects the projection Max Weber made nearly a century ago. As societies becomes more diverse and complex religion becomes increasingly archaic. Today it is magnified by the inherently contrary propositions of conservative religion and liberal western values, further driving secularization.
Secularization is increasing because society's values are and have been changing for a long time. Even the most recent changes began over a generation ago and are still going on now. Internet or no, it would still be happening.
Observation 4: The internet as a utility has a bigger impact on the advancement of religion.
Social media is a powerful recruiting tools for the so-called "Islamic State." Without today's social media this terrorist group would not be able to recruit or radicalize others abroad with such alarming degrees of success. It inspired Donald Trump to suggest, "shutting down parts of the internet" last December in a public debate.
His silly statement highlights what we already knew about the propaganda and recruiting program of daesh. The internet is an invaluable tool in the hands of these terrorists. It allow a dangerous and violent religious message to reach anyone. It has been used to facilitate acts of terrorism. From the emails they send to travel tickets they purchase, the utility of the internet is a weapon when used by these terrorists.
The Aff Case:
As a utility, the internet is a far more powerful tool for violent zealots than for Sam Harris or Richard Dawkins to publish content for their fans, and is far more significant than the low impact of atheistic videos on YouTube.
The Aff offered the example of the Ken Ham/Bill Nye debate with over 5 million views, which on balance is not significant. Even if each viewer had only watched one time, that is less than half of number of non-religious people the state of California. This content is for an audience that preexisted its publication. Likewise, "the Amazing Atheist" may have 800,00 subscribers and over a million views (not a quarter billion), but the world has 1.1 billion non-religious people. This does not reach a reasonable threshold for significance.
The negative has shown the true catalysts for secularization, and both the the internet is not one of them, and the internet is a more powerful tool for advancing religion for agencies like daesh, and the impact is more significant.
Thank you DavidMancke!
I will now respond to my opponent's arguments in the order presented.
1. "The general trend of secularization in the western world has been on the rise for centuries before the internet existed or was even imagined."
My opponent writes "Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Max Weber, Jean-Paul Sartre all share a common denominator; they surmised that religion was on the decline and that science, education and individualism could be given the credit." I completely agree that science and education, as well as increased value placed upon independence, are strong contributors of secularization. At the times that these intellectuals were alive, those were likely the most obvious causes on secularization. But we are in a new age, one that those men didn't get to experience. I strongly believe that if they had the opportunity to observe the power of the internet they would classify it as a strong contributor to secularization.
I believe my opponent is missing my point that of all the applications that have arisen from the world wide web, the internet is perhaps best at educating people and allowing them to experience new fields such as the sciences, more so than they ever could without the Internet. Consider the growing number of fully online universities which make getting an education so much easier, such as the University of Phoenix. This allows a greater number of people to get an education due to the convenience of learning from home. Other sites like YouTube offer an ever-growing amount of channels dedicated to education, such as Vsauce. The channel, which mainly publishes videos on science, has over 10 million subscribers and nearly 1 billion total views [1].
People's ability to educate themselves is significantly greater now than it ever was without the internet. Before the coming of the internet, people had to rely on local resources such as libraries and universities to learn; people had to go to where the education was. Now, we can bring the education to us. We now have, quite literally, the ability to learn anything thanks to the internet.
Con writes "The internet cannot be credited with significant increase in secularization when it started centuries earlier." The fact that secularization begun without the internet is irrelevant. In no way does this necessarily mean that later advancements such as the internet cannot act as a catalyst for secularization. Thus, to claim that education and science cause secularization and the internet does not, despite the fact that the internet delivers these opportunities straight to people in unlimited amounts, is illogical.
2. "Liberal values are increasingly popular in the western world, and at odds with many traditional conservative religious values."
The Negative writes "The artifacts of secularism online are not a cause in and of themselves. This is simple supply and demand. The demand for secularist media drives publication." I believe I have provided several ways in which the internet directly contributes to secularization, such as making access to education so much easier, but my opponent has failed to support this claim that secular articles and videos on the internet are simply byproducts of secularization rather than contributors.
Perhaps my opponent misunderstood what I was saying. I did not say that YouTube videos that promote secularism directly cause people to drop their Bibles. I was saying that they contribute to the larger picture by getting people to think rationally. Con writes "Rejection of religion, ostensibly, happens before searching out the 'HitchSlap' video on YouTube." Not all the time. If I have already rejected religion, I may seek out Hitchslap videos purely for entertainment (for those unaware, "Hitchslap" videos are videos of Christopher Hitchens, once a popular anti-theist known for his wits and clever responses while debating theists). But, if I am in a state of limbo and am unsure of what I believe, coming across videos like these will certainly make an influence on my final decision.
3. "Rejoinder of Obs 1 and 2"
Con states "Secularization is increasing because society's values are and have been changing for a long time. Even the most recent changes began over a generation ago and are still going on now. Internet or no, it would still be happening." Of course our society would still be undergoing social changes if the internet hadn't been invented. But not nearly as fast. As my opponent writes, "The internet is a utility for conveying ideas." The internet is the fastest method in the history of mankind of spreading ideas. Consider some of the recent social movement we have witnessed. Without the internet, they would have never gained the traction and speed that they reached. For example, think about the gay rights movement and how much the internet bolstered the ideology behind it. Remember that Facebook profile picture filter that put a rainbow over your picture? Within three days, 26 million people had changed their profile picture in support of gay rights, and the filter would go on to gain over 500 million likes and comments from Facebook users around the world [2]. There is no way that such a movement could have gained that much attention in such little time without the power of the internet.
4. "The internet as a utility has a bigger impact on the advancement of religion."
My opponent is right when he states that extremist religious organizations use the internet to spread their dogma. But in order for this point to further his case, my opponent must demonstrate that the internet contributes more to the advancement of religion than to secularization, which he failed to do.
Con states that even though the Ken Ham vs Bill Nye debate got 5 million views, this is insignificant. It seems to me that my opponent is implying that in order for a video to be significant it must have received billions of views. I beg to differ. 5 million views certainly means something. It shows that people care and are paying attention to these sorts of matters. If my opponent actually believes that in order for any video to carry any significance its view count must match the number of people associated with the video's content, then that is simply unrealistic. Very few internet videos receive over a billion views, let alone hundreds of millions. Yet they still convey meaning and create social change.
And just to clarify: The Amazing Atheist's YouTube channel has indeed been viewed over a quarter of a billion times: 267,714,483 views as of this posting, to be exact [3].
I look forward to my opponent's rebuttal to my main arguments!
Thanks once again for providing such a great topic. What attracted me to the resolution is that there is so much ground for either position when the trend in questions is analyzed in the context of significance. Nevertheless, I have to confess my disappointment that the affirmative largely missed the opportunity.
To start out, the affirmative has asked that this constructive only deal with argument(s) put forward in the first constructive (round 2). It bears mentioning that the counter-analysis they provide in round three deliberately suppresses portions of the arguments offered by the negative side during round two, in order to review them in partition and out of context. Simultaneously, they have offered rules for the debate that would prevent me from calling attention to this until the next round.
The affirmative first constructive offers two contentions/observations.
If the affirmative had not already lost by building a case on a fallacy, they lose on the threshold of significance as well. Here's why:
The negative provided a more believable and far more robust explanation of the trend of secularization, and highly significant examples of how the internet contributes to advancement of religion that is far more significant than anything offered by the affirmative.
The obvious choice is a negative ballot.
If history can teach us anything, it is that rationality prevails; gradually, yet continuously. This is the reason we no longer believe the Earth is flat. It is why we don't believe in Thor, why we don't believe masturbation causes blindness and why we don't believe in the geocentric theory. How does this tie into the debate? Put simply, the internet spreads ideas; many ideas. Similar to the mechanics of natural selection where the most beneficial traits will endure while disadvantageous traits will die off, the most rational ideas will persevere and eventually take precedence in society, while the ideas that lack rationality will lose their influence on people over time. Likewise, a notable reason people separate themselves from religion is because they find it irrational to abide by and believe in ideas that do not make sense to them. The internet drives this process forward by making rational ideas more available to people.
My goal in this debate was not to provide numbers showing that the internet itself directly causes secularization. Rather, my goal was to demonstrate that there is strong reason to believe that the internet significantly contributes to the rise of secularism, by taking matters which have historically caused its rise such as science and general education, and enhancing their influence on society through the spreading of ideology.
I believe I have supplied sufficient reason to show that the internet significantly contributes to the rise of secularism.
I thank DavidMancke for debating me! I am glad to have debated someone of his intellect.
A big thanks being for such a great topic JayShay has asked us to consider the catalysts of major change when we stand at the high watermark of that change, and while we may disagree about the cause, we resoundingly agree about the benefits. I tip my hat to JayShay.
Nevertheless I respectfully submit the following counter analysis:
The fourth round was specifically for counter-analysis of the material offered by each side in round three. It bears some mentioning that my opponent did not specifically respond to anything in my last round in his final post. Out of respect for the rules I don't want to hammer this, but debate theory holds that the negative arguments flow across and the negative wins all those arguments. That being considered let's move on to the material from my opponents round three.
The resolution is a "truth claim" and for either side to win they must, A; show the resolution is accurate or not and, B; provide the most significant examples. Those burdens were overwhelmingly better upheld by the negative and deserve your vote.
Round Three Aff:
My opponent started by trying to respond to the historical analysis of the overall trend of increasing secularization in the west by dismissing the impact that secular advocates have had on the trend of secularization over time. And it is as bad as it sounds.
"..we are in a new age, one that those men didn't get to experience. I strongly believe that if they had the opportunity to observe the power of the internet they would classify it as a strong contributor to secularization."
Again, just as in the first affirmative constructive (Pro Round 1), we get no reason that these folks may share his view. More importantly, the Aff case and follow-up forgets that it is the content of a claim that drives acceptance or rejection of said claim.
This principle is unfortunately missed by the affirmative throughout the debate. In reality, the very theses of these several secular advocates offered in round two all, all of them contend; that it is the inherent advantages of secularism that drive its increased acceptance, as opposed to whatever venue in which it is published, especially today, after the hardest work has been done generations before against more powerful entrenched resistance than today. These paragons forecast the secular culture of today decades and decades before the advent of the internet.
The affirmative tries to suppress the last 500 years of scientific (methodological) and humanist (ontological) sudden and specific changes (Charles Darwin, Pierre-Simon Laplace**) and ensuing progress, by suggesting that secularism's recent-era jump is credible to the internet as a utility in and of itself. Keep in mind Laplace was speaking to Napoleon in the early 19th century when he famously said, "I had no need for that hypothesis."**
To remain resolutional the Pro has to remain unique, specific and consistent in support of the resolution, or "truth claim." They also have to provide the most significant examples, and have missed on both counts. The internet deserves no credit for ideas predating it, not when the ground was toiled in the "Scopes Monkey Trial" in 1925.**
The message is the song, the internet is merely Auto-Tune.
The printing press was less powerful than the internet, but did more inthe 1500's to raise basic questions about contemporary religion than the internet does today**. Again, the philosophical framework for the level of social change we see today has been laid down generations ago.
The Aff also offers: "the internet is perhaps best at educating people and allowing them to experience new fields such as the sciences, more so than they ever could without the Internet."
Good material and teachers are the best at educating people, the UofPhoenix example turns for the negative case. Often "online universities" offer a poorer education than a community college, are more expensive and predatorily seek out students eligible for state/federal aid. This has been robustly established, and has even triggered congressional inquiry into the merit of publicly funding an education via an online, for-profit university like UofPhoenix. Rather, good learning is rooted in material and expertise. Fox News and its ilk have a sweeping presence on the internet. So do Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen and Benny Hinn. The impact comes from the message, and anyone can pick up a microphone, even broadcast charlatans, even so called "islamic state".
The negative provides better reasons for not assigning credit to the internet for the advancement of secularism, while the affirmative offered no reasons beyond conjecture/speculation. All of the affirmative analysis is built on a fallacy, "cum hoc, ergo propter hoc." Even worse for the affirmative, they failed to respond to this in the final round of arguments; they "dropped" or conceded, this point, and can't win the debate when they built a case on a fallacy, and failed to even respond when it was pointed out.
The Aff suggested that someone, "in limbo," or undecided on religion might be impacted by a video like this, but if the person is in limbo, the tilling of the ground has already been done. This resonates even more with the "Facebook filter" example the Aff offered. He seems to forget that the supreme court had to act on years of work going back to Harvey Milk for Mayor in order to make that filter so popular. This is a reflection of sentiment previously popularized by generations of work, not attributable to the internet.
The affirmative actually concedes in round three that online media he describes may not, "cause people to drop their bibles," in providing his, "person in limbo," scenario, however this in fact is the level of threshold they must to reach in order remain consistent with the affirmative case from round two, where they acknowledged that "correlation is not causation." And supposed to offer examples for cause that turned out to be merely speculative and weak.
They also need to reach this threshold to provide an example anywhere nearly as significant as those offered by the negative. Daesh online recruiting and radicalization as well as utilization of the internet to facilitate terrorism means the internet is being used to significantly advance religion in a way we can measure and observe, far more than offered by the affirmative.
That gets us back to the question of significance. Again, the affirmative offered only speculative, trivial examples of secularist videos online. And not only does the affirmative fail to provide a causal reason to believe the media he points at will change people's perspective, he fails to provide an example, however speculative, as significant as what Daesh is doing today, which is not a speculation, it's an alarming reality.
Thanks JayShay for the topic, thanks to readers for following, and to those of you voting, strongly urging a negative ballot.
"Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate." -Hubert Humphrey
**This is a new example, not a new argument
>Reported vote: SkepticalAtheist// Mod action: Removed<
5 points to Pro (Arguments, Sources). Reasons for voting decision: The ultimate reason I side with the pro is due to the fact that there was a definite correlation distinguished on the side that the internet is fundamentally changing education and allowing it to be an outlet for curiosity. Such a curiosity and foundation of ideas is a clear and empirical cause of such atheistic ideas, therefore there was a clear win for the pro team.
[*Reason for removal*] (1) The voter doesn't explain sources. (2) Arguments are insufficiently explained. The voter has to assess points made by both sides and not merely state that one side's arguments were convincing without comparing them to the other side's points.
From prior questions I raised about content in the rounds after you brought it up in your round three:
"So are new arguments okay in the rebuttals? What about new examples supporting/answering a prior argument in the conclusion speeches?"
Your reply: "Yes, that's all fine as long as they all constitute or lead up to a rebuttal :)"
Nevertheless, my case is up. I did address my concerns about abuse in the opening, but the arguments themselves deal only with your case from round two on the basis of pure speculation and provides links demonstrating the fallacy it's built on. It also shows how my round two case better explains the trend of secularization and that the examples provided are more significant.
Let me know if you take issue with anything.
As always, no rush on posting your arguments. That's why I gave us 3 days for each round. It sounds like we're both busy chaps.
Consider the PM privilege in parliamentary debate rebuttal. Where typically no new arguments are permitted, except in the case where a new argument was made during the last constructive speech. In those cases the PM gets to respond to new arguments during the rebuttal.
As it stands I don't think it will be a big deal. The important thing to keep in mind is the threshold of significance achieved by the competing cases in this event. That will be, or at least should be, what carries the ballot here.
If you'd like, we could change the format to allow you to respond to both my main argument and rebuttal in round 3, but my round 4 would have to allow me to respond to your points further while you only write a conclusion in round 4.
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|1 point
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|1 point
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|3 points
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Ben Affleck Apologizes for Groping Incidentby EG
Ben Affleck spoke out this week in condemnation of Harvey Weinstein, but his condemnation only served to trigger more accusations directed at Affleck himself. Actress Rose McGowan accused Affleck of knowing about Weinstein's history of sexual abuse and not speaking up about it. Then actress Hilarie Burton came forward with a story about inappropriate behavior by Affleck toward her on an MTV set 14 years ago.
Via Us Weekly.
Ben Affleck has apologized for groping Hilarie Burton during a 2003 appearance on Total Request Live.
I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) October 11, 2017
"I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize," the Justice League actor, 45, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday, October 11.Affleck's apology came just a few hours after the One Tree Hill alum, 35, claimed he groped her on the MTV series. "I didn't forget … I was a kid," she tweeted in response to a fan who accused the two-time Oscar winner of being hypocritical after he spoke out against Harvey Weinstein amid the sexual misconduct allegations against the 65-year-old producer.
Burton, who is expecting her second child with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, then shared outtakes from the TRL episode, in which she appeared to address the incident. "He comes over and tweaks my left boob," she explained in the throwback clip. "Girls. I'm so impressed with you brave ones," she captioned the video. "I had to laugh back then so I wouldn't cry. Sending love."
Get the rest of the story at Us Weekly.
Do you think Ben Affleck's apology for the incident is adequate? Let us know in the comment section below.

subset: commoncrawl


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HIIT FUSION Weekly Workout SchedulePosted on December 21, 2014 at 12:01 am
Ahhh it's Christmas week! I have all of my shopping (and wrapping!) DONE! I think this is the earliest that I've ever been done…must be a Christmas miracle (; Usually I'm the person scrambling around on Christmas Eve to finish buying gifts…oops.
SO we know this week is going to be super busy, but if you've done any of the HIIT FUSION workouts, you know that they don't take very much time! Your health & fitness needs to stay at the top of your priority list…you deserve it!
If you are a member of HIIT FUSION online gym, you will have access to all of the linked workout videos in this post! If you want to join you can now and you will then have access to the workout videos…Drew & I would love to have y'all workout with us (:
If you're part of the HIIT FUSION Crew, we would really appreciate if you could take a few before pictures (one from the front and one from the side) so that in a few weeks, you can send us some progress pictures! Seeing y'all reach your goals is what really keeps us going. We have a blast going through your check-ins on Instagram! We are thankful for every single one of you.
Okay time for the workout schedule!
You've seen some of these workouts before so we want you to keep a journal for your HIIT FUSION workouts. If it's a "For Time" workout (which means you have a certain amount of rounds to complete) we want you to record how long it took you to do the workout. If it is an AMRAP (as many rounds as possible in a given time frame) then we want you to write down how many rounds you got through. This way when we do a workout that we've already done you can watch yourself getting stronger and faster!
Here are the workouts you'll be doing this week:
Sunday 12.21:
Active rest day! Do something active – like take a walk or a hike. Or take a yoga class at a local studio.
Monday 12.22:
Complete HIIT FUSION WORKOUT #3 and jog 1 mile. If you can't jog 1 mile for whatever reason, you can substitute the run with your Home Cardio workout.
Tuesday 12.23:
Complete HIIT FUSION WORKOUT #4.
Wednesday 12.24:
Complete HIIT FUSION WORKOUT #7 and jog 1 mile. If you can't jog 1 mile for whatever reason, you can substitute the run with your Home Cardio workout.
Thursday 12.25:
Rest Day.
MERRY CHRISTMAS (: Enjoy some time relaxing with your loved ones! If you're up for a little workout challenge, Drew and I have a special partner Christmas workout for y'all that I'll be posting on my Instagram (@glistenfit) on Christmas Day. You don't wanna miss this one…trust me (;
Friday 12.26:
Complete the NEW workout (HIIT Fusion workout #9) that is posted for the week (: It will be posted Thursday! Jog 1 mile. If you can't jog 1 mile for whatever reason, you can substitute the run with your Home Cardio workout.
Saturday 12.27:
Complete HIIT FUSION WORKOUT #2.
*Feel free to mix and match days to make the schedule work for you! For example, if you need to take a rest day on Tuesday instead of Sunday, just swap those days (:
And here is your weekly challenge!
This week's challenge: Do a 30 second plank before every workout.
Planks are one of my favorite exercises. They don't require any equipment or much space and they work pretty much everything. Plus there are so many ways to switch them up.
Happy weekend!
xo, Jess
Categorized in: Online Gym, Weekly Schedules


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Legal Struggles
Frank Kameny and Mattachine provided referrals and support to those who challenged the government legally, whether they were servicemen dishonorably discharged from the armed forces, government employees expelled from their jobs, or gay men who had lost their security clearances.
One Mattachine Society of Washington member, Bruce Scott, filed an initial suit against the government, Scott v. Macy, in April 1963; in 1965, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in his favor, claiming that the government's accusations against Scott, charging him with "homosexual conduct" without giving a shred of evidence, were illegally vague. Judge David Bazelon ruled that the government had to specify and give details about what conduct it considered to be immoral. This ruling implied that not all homosexual conduct was necessarily grounds for dismissal of federal employment.
In the 1969 case Norton v. Macy, the same Judge Bazelon confirmed that the government must provide a rational connection between an employee's conduct outside of work hours and his unsuitability for employment. In other words, Clifford Norton's having cruised another man in Lafayette Park did not have any bearing on his job at NASA, and the government could not arbitrarily fire him.
The Civil Service Commission's anti-gay employment policies finally dragged to a close. In December 1973, the commission began to revise its policies, and Frank Kameny received a phone call from the Commission's lawyers on July 3, 1975, informing him that as of that day, no federal employee could any longer be fired solely on the basis of homosexuality.
Similarly, Kameny's long-time advocacy on the part of several employees of Defense Department contractors, including Mattachine Society of Washington member Otto Ulrich, resulted in ACLU lawsuits that attempted to regain the men their lost security clearances. In September 1971, a District court judge ruled that security clearance evaluators were not allowed to ask undue questions about employees' sex lives and that employees could not be penalized for refusing to answer such "probing personal questions." A government appeal was denied, and Ulrich and others regained their clearances.


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The evenings are getting cooler, and the winds of Fall are beginning to blow. (I would know...that darn wind is blowing my porch decorations everywhere!) It's the time of year that many of us begin to retreat into the warmth of our homes, cuddle up on the couch, and settle in for an evening of TV or movie entertainment.
If you're anything like me, then you love the holiday season for the special television shows that only come around once a year! I don't really consider myself a TV junkie, but my heart skips a little faster when I start to see advertisements for those cute, traditional, and sometimes cheesy holiday specials that air on all of the popular family networks. From classic Disney, to a how-to special with Miss Martha Stewart herself, I've compiled a list of shows for your family to enjoy together as we round the corner of this Halloween season.
Saturday, October 16
HGTV - Halloween Block Party 2010 at 7:00 pm
Sunday, October 17
FOOD - Food Network Challenge - Horror Cakes at 7:00 pm
Tuesday, October 19
DISNEY - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - Mickey's Treat at 11:00 am
ABCFAM - Melissa & Joey - A Fright in the Attic at 7:00 pm
The Goonies at 7:30 pm
DISNEY - Under Wraps at 7:00 pm
FOOD - Food Network Challenge- Horror Cakes at 7:00 pm
Chopped- Fright Bites at 9:00 pm
Wednesday, October 20
ABCFAM- Melissa & Joey- A Fright in the Attic at 5:00 pm
The Goonies at 5:30 pm
Hocus Pocus at 8:00pm
DISNEY- Twitches at 7:00pm
Thursday, October 21
OXGYN- Roseanne- Halloween V at 2:30 pm
ABCFAM- America's Funniest Home Videos at 6:00 pm
DISNEY- Twitches Too at 7:00 pm
Friday, October 22
FOOD- Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller- Quick Fix Halloween at 9:00 am
Semi-Homemade Cooking - Sweet and Spooky Halloween at 1:00 pm
Paula's Home Cooking- Halloween at Home at 5:00 pm
Chopped- Fright Bites at 7:00 pm
Saturday, October 23
ABCFAM- Casper Meets Wendy at 6:00 am
Teen Witch at 8:00 am
The Little Vampire at 10:00 am
The Goonies at 7:30 pm
FOOD- Chopped- Fright Bites at 2pm
Food Network Challenge- Horror Cakes at 5:00 pm
Sunday, October 24
ABCFAM- Teen Witch at 6:00 am
Corpse Bride at 5:00 pm
Disney's Trick-or-Treat at 6:51 pm
DISNEY- Halloweentown at 8:00 pm
DISNEY- Halloweentown at 8:00 pm
Monday, October 25
HALLMARK- Bedknobs and Broomsticks at 8:00 pm
ABCFAM- America's Funniest Home Videos at 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm
DISNEY- Playhouse Disney's Big Halloween Party starting at 6:00 am
Halloweentown 2: Kalabar's Revenge
DISNEY- Playhouse Disney's Big Halloween Party starting at 6:00 am
Halloweentown 2: Kalabar's Revenge
Wednesday, October 27
ABCFAM- Corpse Bride at 5:00 pm
Disney's Lonesome Ghosts at 7:51 pm
The Haunted Mansion at 8:00 pm
HALLMARK- Tricking and Treating with Martha Stewart at 9:00 am and 1:00 pm
Thursday, October 28
ABCFAM- The Haunted Mansion at 6:00 pm
ABC- It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown at 7:00 pm
NBC- The Office- "Costume Contest" at 8:00 pm
Friday, October 29
ABCFAM- America's Funniest Home Videos at 9:00 pm
DISNEY- Playhouse Disney's Big Halloween Party starting at 6:00 am
Saturday, October 30
HALLMARK- Bedknobs and Broomsticks at 8:30 am
Freaky Friday (1976) at 3:00 pm
Edward Scissorhands at 7:00 pm
ABCFAM- Sabrina the Teenage Witch at 6:00 am
The Black Cauldron at 6:30 am
Corpse Bride at 1:00 pm
Disney's Lonesome Ghost at 2:51 pm
The Haunted Mansion at 3:00 pm
Hocus Pocus at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm
Clue at 11:00 pm
Sunday, October 31
HALLMARK- The Munsters Marathon starting at 7:00 am
The Addams Family Marathon starting at 5:00 pm
ABCFAM- The Little Vampire at 10:00 am
The Haunted Mansion at 12:00 pm
America's Funniest Home Videos at 10:00 pm
Whew! So that's a start for you, haha. I will be adding more shows as they become available, and please make sure to let me know if there's one you know of that I've missed! To the best of my knowledge all of the times listed are Central, but make sure to check your local TV listings for those specials that you really don't want to miss. Better safe than sorry! Feel free to bookmark this page and check back often...especially on those October nights when you're bored and have nothing better to do, anyway. :)
Here are a few of the network websites that you can check out for yourself for even more specials and information. In some cases I left out a few shows that were airing because they were either unfamiliar (and I'm not sure if they're kid-friendly), or they're not Halloweenish enough for me. But you may enjoy them!
So grab a bowl of popcorn and your favorite Halloween candies! Brew up some hot chocolate or some spicy cider, and get ready to retreat onto your cozy couch for a season of Halloween TV that the entire family can enjoy!


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They say the biggest test of a top team is their response to a defeat, so it will be fascinating to see how City fare against Arsenal on Sunday.
I wouldn't say it's the ideal game for the Blues to get the Stamford Bridge loss out of their system, but I still expect them to win.
Eastlands has been a fortress this season in the Premier League, with City having a 100% record there thanks to 24 goals scored and only four conceded.
That's why they are just 4/7 to make it eight out of eight. It's 4/1 for an Arsenal victory and 13/5 for the draw.
United fans will be hoping Gooners striker Robin van Persie can keep up his stunning scoring form and he is 11/2 to notch the first goal.
Sergio Aguero is the 4/1 favourite ahead of 9/2 Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli, who took his opener against Chelsea on Monday with typical nonchalance.
That game ended perfectly for us Reds as the gap at the top of the table remained two points, with City out to 4/5 to capture the title and United in to 15/8.
Fergie's boys could be at the summit by the time City kick off and are 4/9 for the three points at QPR that would lift them above their 'noisy neighbours', temporarily at least.
I was really sorry to learn this week about the nature of Darren Fletcher's problems and I very much hope he can get back to full fitness as soon as possible, not just for United's sake but his own quality of life.
In the meantime, hopefully the players available can keep grinding out results and I was delighted to see Nani and Antonio Valencia shine on the flanks against Wolves last week.
Like Sir Alex, I want to see Wayne Rooney go on a goalscoring spree after his latest double and he is 3/1 to net the opener at Loftus Road.
You can also have an enhanced price of 6/4 if you think both Manchester clubs will win on Sunday…could be a good way to pay for those Christmas expenses!


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|Property type
|Minimum Stay
|4 nights
Our spacious ground floor 3 bedroom apartment is located in the beautiful Zephyros Village on the western side of the prestigious Aphrodite Hills 5 star resort. It is within easy walking distance of shops, restaurants, hotel, spa, tennis and golf. The resort is set in natural surroundings, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea just off the main coastal road between Paphos and Limassol. The apartment is to a high standard and well equipped, with contemporary furnishings and a view over Secret Valley and the sea. The apartment has a large and beautiful patio area where you can sunbathe, enjoy alfresco dining, relax and watch the Sun set over the Mediterranean Sea. The There is also a communal infinity-edged pool less than a one minute walk away. It will suit a family or mixed group of friends looking for an active sporting/golf holiday or those looking for a peaceful, relaxing time.
Angela and Steve Judge live in Kent.
Steve Judge purchased this apartment in 2004
We chose this property because it is very private and in a wonderful resort surrounded by beautiful scenery.
The property is on one level with no stairs or steps. It is ideal for people with mobility considerations and for families with young children. The village has an infinity edge pool which overlooks Secret Valley and is perfect for relaxing. The spacious patio area is ideal for entertaining outside.
'We had a wonderful time at your beautiful apartment in Aphrodite Hills. It was everything you said it was - and more. The views were fantastic and the resort was the best we have ever been to. We cannot wait to go back next year...'
Very spacious, and had everything we needed
Fantastic apartment, very well equipped and we loved the new outdoor space. Swimming pool literally a 2 minute walk and great onsite kids club/crèche which you can book for the little ones. Thanks to steve for All your help with our booking and we hope to visit again soon 😃
The apartment is a real home from home! There was a welcome package with food essentials when we arrived. The apartment was beautifully clean and has all the amenities you would need including a dishwasher which was wonderful!! There is lots to do on the resort including tennis, football, horse riding and a play area for the younger kids. There are a number of restaurants and a supermarket on site but I would recommend getting a rental car to explore the local restaurants as it can get a little expensive eating on site all the time. There is a beautiful infinity swimming pool on Zephyrus village, however, you can't see the pool from the apartment so if you have younger children supervision at the pool would be required. Overall we had a fantastic holiday and would recommend staying here.
The apartment is a spacious 3 bed with a huge outdoor space for dining, relaxing and safe for children playing.
Great location within an excellent development!
We stayed at this property for 7 nights and couldn't fault the accommodation in anyway. It is very well situated and the property was very clean and very spacious. The owner and the property manager were both very helpful and accommodating. We will definitely stay at this property again. Thank you Steve.
This three bed apartment is spacious, excellently equipped and beautifully kept! It certainly exceeded our expectations! There is a wonderful infinity pool less than a minute away with amazing views over the hills. The resort centre provides amenities as required (coffee shop, ice cream parlour, supermarket and restaurants/bars). We would certainly return here! Thank you.
Special interest holidays:
The resort's Retreat Spa was voted 'Best European Spa of the Year' in 2008 in the Professional Beauty Awards. The Retreat features monastic interiors with galleried hallways, fragrant gardens with outdoor massage temples, a thermae, and an infinity-pool overlooking the Mediterranean. It offers the ultimate body experience to soothe your inner and outer being. As quoted in the Sunday Times 22.11.09: 'Undoubtedly one of the best spas on a golf resort, perfect for golf widows!' The Retreat can offer one to five-day packages that include a range of treatments, as well as wedding and honeymoon retreat days.
The nearest beach is immediately opposite the entrance to the resort. Also, there is a sandy, child friendly beach with: sunbeds, umbrellas, towels, and bar and restaurant facilities. It is 15 minutes drive away or alternatively the Intecontinental Hotel offers an hourly bus service. Other beaches at Aphrodite's Rock, Pissouri and Yeroskipou are within 10 to 15 minutes drive.
The resort is located just 15 minutes drive from Paphos International Airport. It is 1 hour 15 minutes drive from Larnaca International Airport.
Village Square 5 minute walk, Kouklia Village 3km, Pissouri 10km, Aphrodite's Rock 2km, Paphos Airport 17km, Paphos Harbour 25km, Limassol 50km, Troodos Mountains 60km, Nicosia 130km.
Further Details:
The Village Square forms the heart of the Aphrodite Hills resort. It offers an array of restaurants and bars; Traditional Cypriot, French Brasserie, Italian Pizza and Pasta, Indian, Asian, Anoi Bar, etc - all this on a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. In addition there is a spacious open-air area where evening entertainment, musical productions and festivities are held. The Village Square also has numerous shops including an A.T.M. and Mini-Market. The Intercontinental Hotel, on the resort, offers further restaurants and bars, as well as evening entertainment.
There is an array of children's facilities on the resort which include: junior tennis, golf, crazy golf etc. There is a children's play area adjacent to the village square. There are four different kid's clubs catering for a range of ages, providing high quality child care with a full range of exciting activities and a chance to make new friends. Teenagers have their own clubhouse 'The Grotto' with computer games, a pool table, and organised activities.
There is a state of the art gym for an varied and effective workout. Horse riding facilities and nature trails are available.
There are many nearby attractions if you feel the need to leave the resort including: Waterparks, Akamas National Park, Paphos ancient sites and monument, UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of the most beautiful sites is on the doorstep at Aphrodite's Rock (Petra tou Romiou) where the goddess of love reputably emerged from the sea.
|Rental Period
|Minimum Price
|Additional Nights
|Weekend Night
|Event Price
Mid Summer
1 Jul 2018 - 31 Aug 2018
4 night minimum stay
for 4 nights
Late Summer
1 Sep 2018 - 30 Sep 2018
4 night minimum stay
for 4 nights
My Standard Rate
4 night minimum stay
for 4 nights
|No additional mandatory fees
|Refundable Damage Deposit
Booking Notes:
Booking form and non-refundable deposit of 20% of full payment are required to confirm and reserve a booking. The balance is to be paid 6 weeks prior to commencement of the holiday. In addition a security deposit of £200 is required to cover any loss or damage. This is fully refundable within a week of your departure.
Changeover Day:
Changeover day flexible. Departure is normally by 10.00am and arrival after 15.00pm. However this is flexible dependent on arrival times of next guests and requests can normally be accommodated.


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This will be a public service announcement. And if it is heeded, thousands of people -- maybe millions -- might be spared emotional misery.
It was suggested to me by a man who is the father of two children, ages 5 and 1. We will call him Jim. He doesn't want his identity revealed because he doesn't want to hurt the feelings of well-meaning friends and relatives.
"But if you write about this problem," he said, "maybe they will see it and get the message."
It is about toys.
"Basically, there are two kinds of toys," Jim says. "There are noisy toys, and toys that are not noisy.
"Now, who buys noisy toys? Do parents buy noisy toys? Of course not. When you have a child, the child is noisy enough. So why would you buy it something that will make even more noise?


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Friday, 13 May 2016
I know, I know, I should take a chill pill. Get off the internet. Even more than grammatical errors I am pulling my hair out over malapropisms. The internet abounds with them and the more they are written and shared around and read by others the more they will be perpetuated. And I tell myself it doesn't matter but that little voice pops up and says 'words matter', 'words have meaning' and I believe this. I believe that effective communication involves accurately saying what you mean. But we live in a time and a culture that likes ideas and the gist of things and what you have to say is more important than how you say it. Perhaps that is sometimes true. We don't need flowery or poetic language for everything but I will still argue for accuracy.
And yet, the meanings of words do change over time and we all seem to survive that. Sometimes they actually take on the very opposite meaning to what they original meant. Sometimes we make one word good enough when we used to insist on two, as in further and farther. The distinction between the two is becoming redundant and I see the point in that. In fact any time I pull some hair out over a malapropism it's not that I don't know what the writer is trying to say. The fact that I do know is part of what allows me to see that the wrong word has been used. It's just that I love words and I love accuracy. I love to understand distinctions and finer points. I have to admit that my own use of the language is not flawless though, and so I am trying to learn to let go in the same way that I have almost let go of caring how people wield a knife and fork. If it gets the food into your mouth in a generally non-repulsive way isn't that all that matters? The point of table manners is to be considerate of your dining companions' level of squeamishness and not to make threatening gestures with a knife. I'd much rather my companion employ strange cutlery tricks than chew with mouth open.
Favourite Poem from Childhood
I eat my peas with honey;
I've done it all my life.
It makes the peas taste funny,
But it keeps them on my knife.
And so, I am trying to nit-pick less about language use and tell myself that I am glad, really glad, that English is not a dead language and remind myself Shakespeare would never have gotten past the Language Police. Now, I'm off to put some whisky in my tea.
13 comments:
I totally understand your frustrations Shawna ... what about lose and loose!!! LOL!!!ReplyDeleteReplies
Yes, along with chose and choose. Admittedly I might write or type the wrong one sometimes but if someone is consistently using the wrong one it suggests lack of understanding the meaning of them rather than a typo. It has just occurred to me that we don't have a problem with nose and noose. ;-)Delete
I share your feelings on this, I find it really annoying that people are so sloppy when it comes to language. These days I see a lot of so-called professionals, journalists writing for a newspaper, with a really bad grasp of their native language (this also applies to Finnish, my native language) and coming up with sentences that hardly make sense. I know none of us have perfect language skills, but I think we should expect professional writers to be a bit more accurate.ReplyDelete
When it comes to English, I find it interesting (as an EFL teacher) that so many native speakers make similar mistakes (e.g. using the apostrophy with plurals, 'use to' instead of 'used to' etc.). Of course I know that I probably make some grammar mistakes in my native language, too, but I still find it fascinating that everybody seems to have the same issues (and some of them are the same that non-native struggle with).Replies
I think it's interesting to consider that if the same errors frequently occur then perhaps it's something about the language that is no longer serving us. English is bursting with non-intuitive spellings and pronunciations and grammar rules do change over time as we collectively decide they are not needed. I enjoyed a book called Bad English written by Ammon Shea and highly recommend it.Delete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
Down here, we put an "e" in whiskey. As a fellow-pedant, I also get irritated daily by misuse of language and grammar. Fortunately, many who can't write ultimately migrate to YouTube where they make videos...ReplyDeleteReplies
Whiskey is Irish and Whisky is Scottish. You've got more Irish in New York ;-)Delete
On Youtube they must speak and that is it's own sort of disaster!
Oh dear, whiskey in the morning is a dangerous road, do stop! :)))ReplyDelete
You are right about everything. I have rants like this from time to time too. With my limited knowledge of English, I see native speakers who don't hesitate to call themselves writers and make mistakes which I can catch with my not very keen eye. My eye used to be very keen once upon a time, and I worked for a publishing house for a few years. To the writers' defense, I can say that there are very gifted writers whose ideas are fresh and worth publishing, but they are simply weak when it comes to grammar. That is why there are proof-readers and editors, that is what they are for in the professional field. I suspect that the quality of writing went significantly down in newspapers as Tiina mentioned, because there is much less money in this industry these days, and many highly educated professionals left the field. The Internet is free, and when things are free, of course we will see all of it - both poor writing, but also great writing which we would otherwise not be able to read due to the highly competitive field of publishing...
But then, like you with your peas, I know I am not perfect as well. My Russian, dare I say, is a bit better than my English. But don't get me started on other areas of life which millions of people mastered so much better than me - simply because it is a priority for them. A solid career, a clean house and a proper bank account, to begin with. :) Priorities...Replies
A happy family and a fulfilling live. It looks like you've got those ones mastered. xoxoDelete
:-D I hear you!!ReplyDelete
xo Jazzy Jack
People will make grammatical errors irregardless of it's intended audience. ;-)ReplyDeleteReplies
I love visitors and I love comments. I will try my best to respond to everyone! Thanks for stopping by.


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MESA, Ariz. -- Mesa police caught a man they say was trying to film a pregnant woman in the bathroom of a bookstore.
The suspect, Patrick Jolayemi, 28, is a registered sex offender and was already on probation. He was even wearing a tracking device on his ankle.
The incident allegedly happened at the Bookmans in Mesa on Monday afternoon.
"She happened to look down and she realized there was a hand and a cellphone below the edge of the stall," said Detective Steve Berry of the Mesa Police Department.
Police believe Jolayemi snuck into the women's bathroom and hid in a stall until a woman entered the stall next to him. When she pulled down her pants, he reportedly put his camera phone under the stall and masturbated as he filmed.
"This is very disturbing," Berry said. "When you go to the restroom, certainly, you expect a little bit of privacy. And to have your privacy invaded this way, it's very disturbing, besides the fact that it's very illegal."
The woman ran out of the bathroom and told a manager, who grabbed a security guard. The guard tackled the suspect as he tried to run from the store.
Jolayemi will face one felony charge for taking those pictures.


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Your cart is empty.
Adjust your sunglasses to your environment with the Radians T85 Sunglasses with Interchangeable Lenses. These sunglasses feature a nylon frame with clear polycarbonate unilenses and 4 additional pairs of 1-piece, interchangeable lenses that can be easily removed and replaced for different lighting situations. UVA and UVB protection. Rubberized temple pads.


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3 Bedroom Argyll Lodge
Relaxing in style is certainly possible in the pet friendly Argyll Lodge. Whether for living or leisure, the Argyll Lodge is perfect. Three comfortable bedrooms, large full bathroom and a hot tub. Enter through a cloak/utility room into a spacious lounge with kitchen/diner, making the Argyll a perfect holiday home.


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Separate names with a comma.
Discussion in 'User Submitted News' started by Prime, Feb 14, 2009.
Meh its £14 brand new at Game over here. Price on Steam here is £13.49 but I'd rather have the actual disc to be honest.
This is a great offer. But I prefer the 360 version that I already own.
FPS on PC > FPS on 360
And thats enough trolling.
Same here. I'm not much for a keyboard/mouse thing with FPSs.
That was a good deal, I'd buy it if I didin't already have it already for the 360


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A-Series | Enrolment deadline and more!
Hello everyone, little by little we are approaching the enrolment deadline of the ESM™| A-Series CTF Conference League 2016. Currently we are working on the maps as
we discovered some performance issues that will be solved before the league starts. The new pack of maps will be available the 26th of May.
These are the teams that have joined the league already:
Notice that we may unify the teams from different conferences in one in order to reach the requirement of 8 minimum teams. Applying the requirement of maximum latency for every player (150 ms) and the conference under which all the teams will be unified will be the one who has more enroled teams.
We also want to say that we are still looking for editors and scripters to work with us in this project to create new game modes with which we could attract more teams/clans from the Arma 3 community. We are actively searching for sponsors in order to offer the best prizes and giveaways for you as we already did the last edition when MIONIX provided more than 400€ in prizes. We are hoping to see you soon at our forum telling us ideas and suggestions so we could become a meeting point for e-Sports and PVP lovers of Arma 3!
Remember that the last day to enrol your team is the 26th of May!
Hello, I am contacting you to inform that the ESM™ staff has decided to postpone the kick-off of the league until one of the conferences reaches at least 8 registered teams.
Please find hereafter the new format and details:
1. There will be no default start date.
2. Each conference (league) will start two weeks after the 8 first teams got registered.
3. After this, a new threshold of two additional weeks will be available to allow potential other teams to join the competition. After that, the organization staff will have a few days to set up the games calendar, among other things.
I would like to remark the big positive impact for the ESM™ that all the teams can bring by advertising it.
Additionally, if you wish to schedule and play a friendly game or a serious practice game, please do it through the ESMTM forum.
I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the possibility to schedule a friendly or practice game. This way, we could get more used to the system and rules of the ESM™. I will open a new thread in the forum on behalf of the 88th CO. "Walking Death" Team in order to allow you all to challenge us.
PS: We will move the SEALSWCC Team back to the conference in which it was initially registered.
Once more, I want to thank you all and tell you that with your help and support, we hope we will be able to create a place for Arma 3 e-Sports fans.
Electronic Sports Masters™ | Where the challenge begins ...
People in this conversation
Comment last edited on about 1 year ago by LORD LORD
The ESM™| A-Series CTF Conference League was one of the most awaited events in 2016. I hope you will surely update your site with more info about the conference and topics discussed. That would be informative .0 Like


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This weekend I'll be exhibiting at my first ever out of state show, Unique LA Spring Show! I have no idea what to expect. The only comparison I can make is Chicago's Renegade Craft Fair. Both shows are similar in their setups, but I have a small suspicion this event will be a little different. So in a sense, I'm ready but not really...if that makes any sense? I've only done 3 shows since deciding to take this gig seriously and they've all been with Renegade Craft Fair. I guess that's why I decided to take the plunge and apply for this show, but am I getting ahead of myself with the whole out-of-state aspect? Am I good enough to ride with the cool kids of LA?? Who knows! As you can see, I'm having the classic artists' inner conflict. Oh woe is me.
But as usual, we have our freak outs and then we carry on. I've been working on a lot of different projects in the last few months that have got me freaking out a little more frequently. To sum it up: I'm working a full time day job, making my best friend's wedding band, trying to get my own jewelry out there, hosting local jewelry lady meet ups, planning a whole new business so that I can quit my full time day job, and preparing for this LA show. PHEW. That's a lot for this little lady! So yeah, there are times when I freak out and then I calm down, and like the phrase says, I carry on. As I mentioned in a previous post of mine, I think the trick to accomplishing all that's in front of you is to just get lost in each moment, enjoy, and truly understand what it is you're doing. I guess some yogis would call that 'being present'. Fortunately, I'm actually calm for this next show so that's good. And I truly hope it turns out to be a worthwhile experience. I'll definitely follow up with a recap post.
Something I am excited about though for this show is debuting a few new pieces! Like I said, I've been involved in so many other aspects of my life I haven't really had a chance to make any serious new work. But I did find some time to make use of these super rad hematite cube beads that I've been hoarding for the last couple of months.
I paired the hematite with lapis lazuli round beads and am really digging the outcome. If they do well at the show, I plan on making more and having them available on my site.
Also, I must really be into this lapis blue lately because I decided on a whim to dye some of my hairs the same color. And as you saw in the photo up top, my nails are the same color too. Don't know what it is but this color is speaking to me right now and I'm just going to go with it.
If anyone is reading this and lives in LA, please come say hello at the Unique LA Spring Show! I will have a special gift for anyone that stops at my table :)
Have a great week, everyone!


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Radio Pachuco
Onstage: 00.30 hrs
Radio Pachuco came into being in 2011 as the house band for Saturnalia cabaret, an ill-fated production involving some of Scotland's great performers. As such they had to provide the background music for burlesque acts, feats of hypnosis and even a fakir hammering a nail into his head. Certainly not a squeamish band. As time has passed Radio Pachuco have become a tight 6-piece ensemble, playing a mix of swing classics, jazz numbers and songs of the 1950's. Shying away from tired crooner material, their cool and fast-paced performance is a mix between Cole Porter and Etta James, and singer Sophie Adams' voice will make you want to rummage through your grandparents' record collection.
Website: www.radiopachuco.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/radiopachuco
Matt Gloss & the Emulsions
Onstage: 21.45hrs
Matt Gloss & the Emulsions are a young, exciting group of musicians who love nothing more than playing the greatest hits of the past 6 decades to a captive audience! With over 50 years combined performing and touring experience, The Emulsions offer energetic live shows and musical competency in spades.
Matt Gloss & the Emulsions line-up consists of; lead male vocals, guitar, keyboard, bass and drums. The full line-up also sings backing vocals.
Onstage: 19.00hrs
RIPL is an acoustic singer songwriter/multi instrumentalist with a percussionist.
Event Details
Event: RADIO PACHUCO, MATT GLOSS & THE EMULSIONS, RIPL
Date: Friday 10th March 2017
Venue: Whistle Binkies
Time : 17:00 - 03:00
Cost: Free B4 Midnight £4 After
Forthcoming Gigs…
Thursday 16th August
Monday 20th August
Open Mic Night
Monday 27th August
Open Mic Night


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I don't like "trigger warnings" because they imply that our readers can't handle something. That said, I would like to stress that this is an incredibly intense piece about the difficult subject of sexual assault. I will also tell you that Erin Bardwell is a powerful writer. Please make sure you are prepared before reading ahead.
Sean Bennick
Content note: explicit descriptions of sexual assault
- It is 4 and I am 20 and I am crying in a phone booth because I have a bad case of the feels. You come up to me and ask if I need a hug. You are a bad hugger, dude. Real bad. Most hugs go around shoulders with arms, not necks with hands. Most hugs don't go under clothes with sweaty palms and most hugs don't go hard into bodies with fingers and most hugs don't drag people by the hair. Most hugs end naturally by nature, not by screaming and kicking. Most hugs don't involve yelling about cock rings and how much she'd like that because she's a good little bad girl. Bad girl. And most hugs don't involve taking a piece of someone's hair. Where did you put it, I wonder? I still wonder. Maybe that was the worst part, you taking a piece of me after taking a piece of me.
- It is 11 and you are 60 and I am 21, dancing. The DJ stops, walks up to me, says "you don't have to let people touch you." I look down. You're licking at me through my jeans, through my underwear. Everyone has seen. I stop dancing. Almost forever I stop dancing.
- It is 5 and I am 22 and I am in the liquor store, handing over my crumpled dollar bills. I feel your breath in my ear before your tongue reaches in, sloppily. Loudly. You leave. The cashier shrugs. I shrug. What can you do.
- It is 3 and I am 23 and all four of you pull up to the stoplight. The windows roll down. "Hey bitch, I want to fuck you in half." It's been a long day, a long year, a long list of gropes and grabs I've stopped counting. I just bought a big bag of canned cat food and I am on the hood of your car and I am beating this with that, screaming. The rage was indescribable. The light took forever. I step back before it changes, after you change me, and I feel your beer splash at my feet. "Fucking cunt!" Maybe you're right. I feed the cat, shaking until my teeth chatter.
- It is 9 and I am 24, reading a book on the subway. I look up and your dick is out, you fucking dick. You're staring at my legs while you do it. I scream, you run. No one says anything. I wish I hadn't worn shorts. My fault. Mine.
- It is 6 and I am 25 and you follow me home in your van, for an almost mile. I turn, you turn. Where are my neighbors? It's already dark. "Get in, baby, get in, baby." Get out, baby.
- It is 10 and I am 26 and I decide dancing is pretty okay again. You put your hand up my skirt and into me because you're apparently very much into me. Perhaps I won't have this dance.
- It is 8 and I am 27 and I feel my bare back bloody the bricks. I don't remember anything after that and you probably remember everything after that, don't you. Enjoying yourself?
- It is 5 and I am 28 and I feel you take off my bra through my shirt. Thank you for waiting until my bus stop, though. Nice gesture.
- It is 11 and I am 29 and I am just so tired, too tired to keep counting. I just want to be home, I just want to go home, I just wish you weren't in there, in me. How did you get in there? Never mind which "there."
- It is 1 and I am 30 and drunk, so drunk. Bad girl. I start to pass out in your bed and why does everyone keep licking me down there? "I don't want this! Stop. Please stop please stop please stop please." I stop crying. I can't move. Bad girl. I look up, become the cracks in the ceiling. Become invisible. Blank people can't be broken. Am I still even people?
It is the dark basement with the girl named Bicardi. She leaves me there. All of you surround me. Maybe you want to know who gets to go first. I step back, wait where's the bathroom, I just want to be clean before I'm dirty. And you're there, and I plead with you, with just the one of you, to let me go. You show me the window. I climb through it. I go back to a housewarming party, cold inside. It's so cold outside.
It's all everyday, everything, and therefore nothing. It's why I don't bother telling you when it happens because it's mundane now, it's boring, it's like telling you about my bus ride or my boss. It's "smile, baby" this and "mami you lookin' fiiiiine" that. It's "that ass, girl!" or "bitch, you need a Wonderbra." It's the sales clerk, the mailman, the grandfather of little girls. I'm a little girl. I am small and don't matter.
You don't leave me alone until I say I have a boyfriend. I don't. But my imaginary boyfriend is what saves me, because my imaginary boyfriend's possession of me is worth more than my own.
I try to cut you out through my skin, pouring bleach into my blood, no no even that's not enough. I try to burn you out with a lighter, already familiar with the smell of scorching flesh. I watch the blisters form because they mean more to me than you. I watch as the fire washes me clean, punishes me for being so worthless, so fucking helpless, such a bad girl. Such a bad girl. Even with my hair up, with a hoodie up, with my face down, with my guard up. You still see somehow my body. You still see somehow it's yours. I belong to you, and you, and you. I get it now. It's been so many years but I get it now.
It's you crossing the street to avoid walking behind me at night, and it's my understanding that your indifference makes you good. It's you explaining that you're not following me, that's it's just opposite street side parking day. It's you, another stranger, giving me cab money to get home because I'm bleeding, breathing in little gasps, escaping but barely.
It is you not fucking me because I'm too fucked up to fuck. It is you not touching me on the train. It is you keeping to your side of the elevator and away from my life. It is you keeping silent when you pass me on the street. It is you letting me loosen the grip of my keys in my fist, because you've shown me I don't have to fight you. It is you walking me home at night, a humiliating ritual lightened by your laughter. Most of all, it is you believing me. Most of all, it is you not saying "yes, but men." It is you not #NotAllMen. Most of all, it is you not saying how I should learn how to take a compliment.
It is what it is.
And I'm so sorry. For us all.
If you link to this piece, please link to the original post: Lost in the Light, Left in the Dark
To learn more about sexual assault and violence, please visit https://rainn.org/.


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PES 2018 Review (In Progress)
Return of the King… Again. For real. I promise! ... Read more
Return of the King… Again. For real. I promise! ... Read more
It's time for the NGB Podcast! This week, Ben is joined by Gari and Nico, as they talk through.. Ah, who cares? You're all here for PES, right? Either way, on the docket this week: PES 2018... Read more
A couple of weeks ago, Battlefield 1 came out, taking the franchise back to World War One. At this year's E3, the company's main man said that when he was presented with the idea of moving the... Read more
Welcome to the pilot episode of The Trequartistas Show, a soccer/football gaming focused YouTube series. The premise of the show is similar to provide a platform that ignites fruitful discussions... Read more
The bottom of the top… And so, good readers, we arrive at NGB's Game of the Year 2015 Top 10 list! We've broken it down into two lists, 10-6, and 5-1. Hopefully you come back to check out both... Read more
Our network has today launched a survey, running for a number of weeks, to collect data and user feedback regarding the football gaming scene. The survey is all about improving the genre, and... Read more
We brought you some new FIFA 2011 screenshots earlier and later in the day Konami hit back with their own screenshots; that being 3 shots of stadiums. Here they are – pictures courtesy of prorevo.... Read more
The PES vs FIFA battle rumbles on for another year – and with the world knowing a lot about PES 2011, it's competitor; FIFA 2011 – we know less about; virtually nothing bar titbits. So we... Read more
Tuesday 1st June 2010, a huge day for PES 2011 & the PES series in general, in this article we have masses of PES 2011 news and we will be keeping you up to date all through the day! The first news... Read more
We brought you news about EA's FIFA World Cup 2010 yesterday, today is the turn of Konami's PES/Winning Eleven series. Konami released an official statement on their Japanese site informing the... Read more
We all know about Pro Evolution Soccer, we all know about FIFA, a new football game has entered the race for top spot – Pure Football, they have recently released their first gameplay video. If you... Read more


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WASHINGTON- Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said President Donald Trump's often provocative comments toward other nations could provoke a third world war.
"He doesn't realize that, you know, that we could be heading towards World War III with the kinds of comments that he's making," Corker told The New York Times in an interview that was published on Sunday.
Trump in August told reporters that if North Korea continues to make threats against the U.S. or its Asia-Pacific allies that the regime: "will be met with fire, fury and frankly power the likes of which this world has never seen before."
Corker told the Times that his strong support for Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is in part based on their ability to counterbalance the president's anger and steer him toward more thoughtful policy decisions.
Corker last week told reporters: "I think Secretary Tillerson, Secretary Mattis and Chief of Staff Kelly are those people that help separate our country from chaos."
Corker, who last month announced that he will not seek re-election in 2018, recently became the target of a Trump tweet storm:
Senator Bob Corker "begged" me to endorse him for re-election in Tennessee. I said "NO" and he dropped out (said he could not win without…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
..my endorsement). He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said "NO THANKS." He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
…Hence, I would fully expect Corker to be a negative voice and stand in the way of our great agenda. Didn't have the guts to run!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
Corker a short time later fired back.
It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.
— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) October 8, 2017
This article is republished with permission from Talk Media News